Page 496 of Filthy Elites

“When you don’t want male attention, I completely agree. But you’re mine and I just got you back, I want the entire school to see you and know who you belong to. So either pick something, or you can try on everything in here until I find something I like.”

Narrowing my eyes, I glare at him, but instead of backing down he just smiles. Shaking my head I step forward and start to root through the clothes, finding a pair of ripped jeans and pulling them on. They’re so tight they might as well be painted on, but they give me the illusion of curves that I can’t help admiring in the floor-length mirror. Spotting a pretty satin bralette in a deep-burgundy-red color, I free it from the hanger and pull it over my head, positioning it to cover my modest tits. I slide my feet into black leather pumps that I don’t need to see the red sole to know are absurdly expensive and likely impossible to walk in.

“Fuck, little bird, I wanted to show you off, but now I’m not sure I want to share you,” he rasps, moving behind me and wrapping his arm around my waist, his face appearing in the reflection of the mirror.

Fisting my hair, he drags it to one side and presses a kiss to the back of my neck. He softly nuzzles for a moment until his teeth clamp down and pain shoots through me as he marks me the same way he did when we were in high school.

“Sebastian,” I cry, fighting to free myself when his arm bands around my waist, keeping me in place as he brands my skin.

“Perfect,” he whispers when he finally releases me, admiring his work. “Put your hair up, I want to be able to see my mark on you.”

Thirty minutes later, Sebastian half guides me, half drags me through the gates and into a waiting golf cart. I’m not sure where they were being kept but apparently, they belong to the house. Hunter, Evan and Clay keep eyeing me warily, but I have no interest in speaking to them, so I keep my gaze fixed on the passing trees and pointedly ignore all of their attempts to bring me into their conversation.

The sound of the party hits us ten minutes before we actually reach the woods where it’s being held. Instead of having to hike down the path, Hunter drives the cart to the edge of the crowd and parks in a spot that almost seems to have been kept vacant just for them. Sebastian halts me when I try to climb out. “You’re with one of us at all times, you don’t take drinks from anyone else.”

“Whatever,” I say childishly, but I just don’t care anymore.

“I’m fucking serious, Starling, if you try to run, I’ll find you and when I do, I’ll lock you down so fucking tight what you’re feeling right now will seem like flying.”

“Yeah, yeah. I promise not to try and escape tonight, warden. I’ll be a good little inmate, Scout’s honor.”

He scowls at my tone, but really, what else can he do to me that he hasn’t already done? Taking my hand tightly in his, he climbs out of the cart first, then pulls me out, dragging me into his side and wrapping a hand firmly around the back of my neck. It’s a proprietary move and I hate that I like it, almost as much as I loathe it.

“What do you want to drink?” Evan asks me.

Ignoring him, I force my face into a bored expression and glance at the party raging around us.

“Starling, can we please just try to be friends?” Clay asks.

Turning my attention back to the three men standing in front of me, I blink slowly. “No.”

“This is so fucked up,” Hunter growls angrily.

“She’ll come around,” Sebastian says, his grip on me tightening.

I laugh dryly and shake my head. “Give me one good reason why I’d want to be friends with any of you after you’ve done this to me?”

“Because we’re all you’ve got,” Clay murmurs quietly.

I laugh again, the sound bitter and angry. “I have plenty of practice at being alone, I’d rather have no one than any of you.”

The three of them look… hurt? But why? It’s not like we’ve ever been close, I’d never even spoken to any of them before Sebastian bulldozed my life and destroyed it.

Evan scowls, then turns and marches away. “This is so fucked.”

Pulling my cell from my pocket, I tap at the screen and open up the book I started reading on the plane.

“What are you doing?” Sebastian demands.

“Reading.”

“We’re at a party.”

“So?”

“So, you don’t fucking read at your first college party. Tell me what you want to do. Drink? Dance?”

“You wanted me here, so here I am. You can force me to be somewhere, but you can’t force me to enjoy it.”

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